91²Öæā Magazine
June 25, 2026
Written by Sydney Kern
Student by Day, Ninja by Night
Aspiring nurse Taylor Greene balances books with buzzers, tackling college life as a full-time freshman and American Ninja Warrior Champion
First-year student Taylor Greene didnāt start her college career in a typical fashion. While she did pack her belongings from her home in Broomfield, Colorado, and moved into South Hall with hundreds of other students in the fall of 2025, her bags didnāt stay unpacked for long. With only a couple of weeks of college courses under her belt, Greene traveled to Las Vegas at the end of September to compete in the 2026 American Ninja Warrior Championship.
āI thought, āmy professors donāt really know me yet, I wasnāt sure if they were going to allow me to goā,ā said Greene. āBut they were very supportive and helpful to me, so it wasnāt as bad as I thought it was going to be.ā
This isnāt the first time Greene has competed in what NBC TV calls the āworldās toughest obstacle course.ā Sheās tackled quad steps, jumping bars and climbing up the well-known, and very tall, warped wall in pursuit of hitting the bright red buzzer at the end of the course.
As the currentĀ American Ninja WarriorĀ Womenās Champion, the 2026 competitionĀ marked her fourth attempt at an adult championship. She also competed in three juniorĀ American Ninja WarriorĀ competitions. Saying it modestly, Greene has built an impressive Ninja career:
- Over three seasons competing at the junior level, she placed as high as third.Ā Ā
- At just 15, she made the leap toĀ American Ninja WarriorāsĀ adult competition, reaching the national finals in all three adult seasons she has competed in.Ā Ā
- She has seven buzzer-hitting course completions, tying her for second-most for women.Ā Ā
- In the upcoming season, she has the chance to set the record for course completions for women in show history.Ā Ā
While the competition is technically over, Greeneās story is still unfolding ā season 18 is airing now, though the full outcome wonāt be known to viewers until the end of summer 2026. An NBC film crew visited Greene at 91²Öæā in the fall to get footage of her prior to her competition, making it a good possibility sheāll be a featured athlete this season.
But how did the desire to swing on bars and wedge herself to crawl between vertical walls begin? At one of her childhood friendās birthday parties.
āThe party was hosted at a ninja-like gym, and I really loved it, so I started taking classes there,ā Greene said. āA year later, I started participating in local competitions at 9 years old.ā
From Flips to Tricks
Growing up, Greeneās original athletic focus was gymnastics, which she pursued for 12 years before switching full-time to ninja competitions. The leaps, tucks and required strength needed for gymnastics set her up for success on the obstacle course. Greene competed for the first time on American Ninja Warrior Junior when she was just 10 and placed 4th.
From there, she was balancing, spinning and swinging her way towards more and more competitions, inspired by the athletes she saw on the screen.
āThatās the kind of generation of ninjas that I grew up with,ā Greene said. āOf course, I watched the show with my grandparents and loved it, but once you compete, the goal was to make it all the way to the TV show.ā
And every time Greene got the call that she was heading to the national stage, she says the experiences happened in a flash.
āMy friends can tell me what obstacles Iāve done on the show better than I could tell anyone,ā Greene said. āI donāt remember. I think I black out because Iām so focused, like I donāt remember exactly what I did.ā
Good thing for Greene, her victories are captured on film. She says leading up to her course runs, competitors have to be on set at 5 p.m., and filming lasts through the night until about 5 a.m. Added to the already intimidating lights and cameras, the ninjas compete on a course suspended above water.
āYou look down, and thereās just a pool below you,ā Greene said. āSo, itās definitely more nerve-wracking.ā
And sometimes, gravity wins.
āIāve fallen a couple of times, yeah, itās really cold,ā Greene laughed.
The opposite experience, she says, is to successfully and quickly hit the buzzer at the end of a competition.
āI feel so much relief when that happens,ā Greene said. āItās like all the stress and all of the waiting and pressure just immediately comes off and you just feel like, āOK, Iām done, I did it.āā
Buzzer Bound
Greeneās least favorite apparatus?
Cliffhangers, where she hangs by her fingertips because it can be painful.
Greeneās favorite apparatus?
A lache, which is when you swing between bars.
Thatās when she can get in the best rhythm.
Greene allows herself to relish that happiness for a few days before thinking about her next competition, and she plans to continue the cycle ā training, competing, training, competing ā with no end in sight.
āIām just going to keep doing it as long as I enjoy it,ā Greene said. āI have fun doing it, I make money doing it, so why would I stop now?ā
The revenue Greene receives from competing in American Ninja Warrior goes toward her education. Driven by a lifelong calling into healthcare, she is studying to become a nurse and chose 91²Öæā due to its strong Nursing program.
Navigating coursework, training and competing, Greene says she is happy she can continue her education at 91²Öæā while living out her latest American Ninja Warrior journey. And while the biggest obstacle right now is leaving everyone in the dark on how she performed, Greene says she had a blast.
āItās always such a fun experience being there,ā Greene said. āIt is very stressful, and itās a lot of pressure, but itās an exhilarating experience that I canāt get enough of.ā
Tune in to NBC on Monday nights for the 18th season of America Ninja Warrior to watch Greene compete.
